Spring Break Trip Takes UA Students Across the Globe for Model U.N. Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama International Relations Club will sponsor 12 students from UA to travel to Taiwan over spring break to represent the University at the World Model U.N. Conference and showcase their debating skills before more than 2,400 students from some 50 countries. The group will leave on March 11 and return on March 20.

The conference is hosted by Harvard University and National Taiwan University, and is one of the most prestigious international collegiate conferences of its kind. This is the first time UA will be represented at a Model U.N. Conference at this level.

The AIRC has returned to UA largely through the efforts of UA student organizers. Jessica Hetherington of Dadeville, current president of AIRC, and Will Thomas of Madison, past president, set goals, created a logo and actively recruited members to revive the organization. Hetherington also expanded the role of faculty adviser to an eight-member advisory board.

The UA students have been invited to Taichung, Taiwan, to tour the Mobletron/Regitar Factory, owned by MORE Group who also has a factory in Montgomery. The UA students were invited to tour the Taiwan factory after Hetherington gave a presentation to a group of Alabama business leaders.

Hetherington and Will Warren of Madison, head delegate, previously met with deans and administrators to obtain support that allowed them to travel to two collegiate Model U.N. Conferences in the fall. In April, the organization will send 12 members to the University of Chicago’s Model U.N. Conference.

The AIRC contributes to the advancement of international cooperation and leadership development through two significant initiatives. UA students developed a volunteer foreign language program for local middle school students and they hosted the 2010 Alabama Model U.N. Conference for regional high school students.

Through the AIRC, the Tuscaloosa Initiative for Language Education program recruited UA students to tutor students at Davis Emerson Middle School in French language and culture lessons. The goal of the volunteer program was to provide Tuscaloosa youth with an opportunity to explore foreign languages and global cultures.

The 2010 Alabama Model U.N. Conference was held Feb. 18-20 when 60 students from area high schools and two schools from the Black Belt Region were on campus to participate. Prior to the conference, AIRC members held workshops at participating high schools to prepare students for their roles as delegates. In addition, AIRC was responsible for the sourcing of funds to bring the 18 Black Belt students to the conference free of charge.